Early Rage Against the Machine In-Store Performance Footage Surfaces

Everybody has to start somewhere, and some very early footage of Rage Against the Machine has surfaced online from an in-store performance the band did at Long Beach's Zed Records back in 1992.

The very young looking Rage members (Zack de la Rocha looking like he's 14 years old and Tom Morello rocking sideburns) share their thankfulness for having a place to play, telling the audience to be very careful with their surroundings as the owner was nice enough to let them jam. What follows is a 40-minute-plus performance filled with what would eventually become well-known Rage Against the Machine songs like 'Bombtrack,' 'Bullet in the Head,' 'Killing in the Name Of' and 'Freedom.'

As can be expected, there were a few hiccups for these up-and-coming rockers, but it didn't deter them. At one point in the set, de la Rocha's amp goes out, but it didn't keep him from singing, and there's the occasional microphone feedback from playing in such an enclosed space. Still, the passion of what they young rockers were laying down was undeniable.

The creator of this video, who posted as Cow Prod Video, claims that he had been sitting on the footage for some 21 years, but finally was motivated by a friend to take the material from his two-camera, two-tape shoot and edit it all together. Watch the performance below.

Watch Rage Against the Machine's 1992 Performance at Long Beach's Zed Records

Rage Against The Machine, Long Beach's Zed Records March 29, 1992 Set List

'Bombtrack'
'Darkness'
'Take the Power Back'
'Bullet in the Head'
'Settle for Nothing'
'Killing in the Name of'
'Know Your Enemy'
'Freedom'